Quick tips for time management, studying, test taking, and tools you can use.

1. ADHD Learning
Strategies
PRESENTED BY MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

2. Your Presenter
Jacqueline Frank
Instruction & Accessibility Librarian
Jacqueline.frank@montana.edu
406-994-4978
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3. Outline
 Quick tips
 Sleep & self care
 Time management
 Studying
 Test taking
 Tools you can use
 What works for you?
 Questions

4. Quick Tips: Sleep & Self Care
 Sleep problems are associated with a poorer working memory (Sciberras, et. al., 2015)
 Routine helps: get up & go to bed the same time each day
 Avoid caffeine after noon
 Avoid screens before bed time
 Exercise can help focus
 Eat nutritious foods for your brain
 Relax and do something you enjoy

5. Quick Tips: Time management plan
 Keep a planner: Add due dates to a calendar
 Set reminders!
 Break up large tasks
 If you have to write a 10-page paper, try breaking it up into 3 or 4 sections and
writing one per day.
 If you have a test, break it up into small sections or chapters

6. Quick Tips: Time management plan, cont.
 Start assignments early
 schedule time at least the week ahead for assignments & study time
 Take breaks
 Plan rewards!

7. Quick Tips: Before Studying
 Do a body check:
 are you hungry? Thirsty? Cold? Etc.
 Make yourself comfortable
 Start with a 2 minute mind-dump: write your to-do list, what your thinking or worried
about
 Keep your list nearby, to add to as thoughts come to mind
 Re-read your assignment
 Consider making a list of the criteria, such as word count, number of references
for a paper, or number of chapters or sections to study

8. Quick Tips: Limit Distractions
 Turn off your phone
 Listen
 Use Earplugs
 Practice studying in a similar sounding environment as a test
 Touch:
 Use fidget toys, stress balls, etc.
 Site:
 Organize & clear your physical space, to limit distractions
 Taste
 Bring your water bottle & snacks

9. Quick Tips: Use all your senses
 Visualize
 Color-coding your notes gives you visual cues to spark your memory.
 Try to associate pictures with certain words or reading passages. This triggers
your brain to remember them better.
 Create your own Venn diagram to break things down.
 Smell & Taste
 Use the same chapstick, lotion, etc. with a specific scent when you are studying,
and then taking an exam
 Chew gum, or eat a Jolly Rancher of the same flavor

10. Quick Tips: Studying
 Study with a partner, if it works for you
 This helps verbalize what you are learning
 Organize material into sections before an exam
 Review what you know first, quickly
 Spend the majority of time reviewing what you don’t know
 Three-times rule: “Make sure you go over everything at least three times, even if it’s a
subject you’re good at” (https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-study-tips#study-tips)

11. Quick Tips: Test Taking
 Review what you know and feel confident about right before the exam
 Plan your time:
 Look through the entire test first and answer the easiest questions first. This will
help to reduce your anxiety.
 Use the entire exam period rather than rushing through the test.
 Read the question carefully and analyze what the teacher wants in the answer. If the
question has several parts, use these parts to structure your answer.
 Ask for extended time or accommodations, if you haven’t already, to minimize anxiety

12. Tools you can use
 Assignment Timeline Calculator (From University of Minnesota) - breaks
down research and writing projects into manageable steps based on your
due dates.
 Software available from MSU: On public computers on campus, or download
to your own device for free from the UIT software page
 Read &Write Gold- text to speech, & speech to text, visual vocabulary for ESL,
and a lot more!
 EquatIO – text to speech, & speech to text, specifically for math & STEM
 Listen to text:
 Speechify, Read & Write Gold, NaturalReader
 Writing
 Grammarly
 Writing Center or writing tutor, for human help
 Smart Pens & lecture recording

13. References & resources
 E. Sciberras, A. DePetro, F. Mensah, H. Hiscock, Association between sleep and working memory in children
with ADHD: a cross-sectional study, Sleep Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 10, 2015,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2015.06.006.
 https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-study-tips#helping-a-loved-one
 https://www.additudemag.com/learn-more-in-less-time/
 https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/study-tips-for-adhd#dig-deep
 https://depts.washington.edu/dbpeds/ADHD_College_Success.pdf
 https://careertools.binghamton.edu/blog/2021/04/15/study-tips-for-students-with-add-adhd/
 https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/resources-and-tips-for-students-with-adhdld/online-and-
remote-learning-tips-for-students-with-adhd/
 https://www.nursing.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/ADHD%20Study%20Tips.pdf
 https://www.montana.edu/counseling/selfhelp/adhd.html

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